Maps of Music

Slipknot (1999)

Where the lyrics of Slipknot take you, and where it was really made.

This is the only Slipknot album to feature original guitarist Josh Brainard, who left the band during the Christmas break after the recording was nearly finished.

Key places

Recording at Indigo Ranch Studios (1999)

Recording site Bob Dylan's garage studio (Malibu) — The band moved from Des Moines to Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California, in late September 1998 to record the album. The point is placed at the city centre of Malibu, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Slipknot: debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Slipknot
• Released 29 June 1999 by Roadrunner Records
• Followed a demo that contained a few songs first released in 1998
• First release by the band produced by Ross Robinson
• The only album to feature original guitarist Josh Brainard
• Peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200
• The band's best-selling album, certified triple platinum in the United States by the RIAA

Background

• In 1998 the band was attracting growing attention from record labels, including Epic and Hollywood Records
• On 29 September 1998 the band left Des Moines, Iowa, and relocated to Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California
• Recording appeared complete by 11 November 1998, and the band returned to Des Moines

Recording

• Robinson sought to refine the band's sound rather than change its musical direction
• All drums were recorded within three days, adding to the raw, live sound the band considered central to its direction
• Robinson pushed the band toward a straightforward metal sound, cutting experimental sections and guitar solos
• Brainard left during the Christmas period; Jim Root replaced him
• The band returned to the studio with Root in February 1999 to finish recording
• The entire album was mixed with analog equipment instead of the more common digital formats

Cover

• Stefan Seskis credited for album cover photography

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray.
• The band is known for its masks, matching jumpsuits and numbered identities.
• Their self-titled debut album (1999) brought rapid fame, and Iowa (2001) made them more popular.

Members

• Shawn Crahan is the only founding member in the current lineup.
• Corey Taylor has been the lead vocalist since 1997.
• Mick Thomson and Jim Root are guitarists in the current lineup.
• Eloy Casagrande became the drummer in 2024.

Career

• The band released All Hope Is Gone (2008), which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
• Paul Gray died in 2010 from an accidental overdose.
• The seventh studio album, The End, So Far, was released in 2022.
• The band has sold about 30 million records worldwide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic's Rick Anderson called it "an auspicious debut" in his review
• Rolling Stone stated Slipknot is "metal with a capital m"
• Kerrang! called the album "raw and wholly uncompromising, each track delivered a powerful blow to the senses"
• Q included the album in its 2001 list of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time
• CMJ ranked the album as the twelfth highest Editorial Pick for 1999
• Jon Hotten of Classic Rock described the debut as a clever synthesis of slasher movie aesthetics with grindingly heavy metal

Reappraisal

• In 2011, readers of Metal Hammer voted it the best debut album of the last 25 years
• In 2018, readers of Revolver voted it the second-greatest nu metal album of all time
• In 2021, Metal Hammer named it one of the 20 best metal albums of 1999
• In 2025, Loudwire ranked it seventh in its list of the top 50 nu-metal albums of all time

Records

• Peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on 2 May 2000, a first for any Roadrunner Records album
• Certified triple platinum by the RIAA on 5 September 2025
• Certified 2x Platinum in Canada by Music Canada on 21 May 2021
• Certified platinum in the UK by the BPI on 17 October 2008
• 'Wait and Bleed' nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards, losing to Deftones' 'Elite'
• Ranked by SoundScan as the fastest-selling metal debut in its history

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The intro track is named after the barcode of the band's earlier demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.
• The album's dense, layered sound comes from heavy percussion, turntables, and samples.
• 'Diluted' is the only track on the album that the band has never performed live.
• 'Eeyore' is a hidden track at the end of 'Scissors' and has been played live many times.
• At the time, the album became the biggest selling extreme metal album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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